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POPULAR LECTURE 



DELIVERED ON 



THANKSGIVING DAY, NOVEMBER 25th, 1875, 



BY 



V 



DB. JOED AN, 



PROPRIETOR OF THE 



New York Museum of Anatomy, 



ISTo. 6X8 IBIFLO^XD-W^-Y. 



Between Houston and Bleecker Streets, 



AT THAT INSTITUTION. 



PUBLISHED BY R E Q t T E S T. 



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NEW VORK: 
ART PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT, 80 BONO STREET. 

Lsre, 






WIy In Dp« 



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POPULAR LECTURE 



DELIVERED ON 



THANKSGIVING DAY, NOVEMBER 2Sth, 187S, 



DR. JORDAN, 



PROPRIETOR OF THE 



]NTew York Museum of Anatomy, 



ISTo. 618 IBI=!.O^.ID^7V"^.'y. 



Between Houston and Bleecker Streets, 



AT THAT INSTITUTION 



PUBLISHED BY REQITES T. 












, 



NEW YORK : 
ART PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT, 30 BOND BTKB 
LS76. 



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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876. by 

DR. H. J. JORDAN. M. D.. 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. D. C. 



ABSTRACT OF 



A LECTURE 



DELIVERED AT THE 



NEW YORK MUSEUM OF ANATOMY, ON THANKSGIVING 
DAY, NOV. 25th, 1875. 

By H. J. JORDAN, M. IX 



Gentlemen : In every language, ancient and modern, with which we 
have any acquaintance, is contained a popular and oft repeated question 
of almost universal application, the translation of which is, " Of what 
utility," or " Of what use " is this or that object, enterprise, or entertain- 
ment, in which I am invited or solicited to interest myself? 

And more especially in a community like this, so eminently utilitarian 
in its ideas, I doubt that there is one among your number who, on enter- 
ing this Museum, has not asked himself the same question. 

With a view of satisfactorily answering this query, as well as of giving 
you a few items of practical, useful advice, has the notice of a special 
lecture on this occasion been issued. 

Many years since, the conviction of the fact that by far the greater 
proportion of the ills to which human flesh is heir, is the result of mere 
ignorance and neglect, and fired, as I trust by not an unworthy ambition 
to benefit our fellow-beings, the result finally culminated, twenty-five 
years ago, in the establishment of this institution, the object o\ which is 
strictly educational, in the following senses of the term : 

1st. As affording to the medical student, ami even to the practicing 
physician, greater facilities for the study oi the various branches of Com- 



4 Lecture by Dr. Jordan. 

parative Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Natural History, etc., than can 
be afforded in the more limited Museums of Medical Colleges. 

Aside from the many published, though unsolicited opinions of the' 
Press in this and other cities and towns, the very liberal patronage and 
many endorsements of that portion of the medical faculty, of the highest 
standing in the professional community, should at once be deemed suffi- 
cient to vouch for the legitimate and scientific character of our institution. 

In hundreds of instances, medical students, advised and instructed by 
their tutors, have spent an entire day here, bringing with them that which 
would satisfy the cravings of the physical system, with their note books 
to satisfy the more worthy appetite of the brain. In a majority of cases, 
(permit me to add,) the student has been induced to repeat his visit, and 
sometimes for many days in succession, for the purpose of more thorough 
instruction in the various branches illustrated here. 

2d. Another motive which led to the establishment of this institution 
was that of popular education, or the instruction of the public at large in 
the branches already named, from which class of community such in- 
struction had hitherto been improperly withheld. The requisite facilities 
had never before been provided for the popular study of any of these 
sciences, except in those institutions where the student must enter for a 
protracted course of instruction, and in a majority of instances this was 
of course impracticable. 

But here, at a price within the reach of any one, and without interfer- 
ing with time devoted to other and regular daily pursuits, the student of 
an hour may come and learn, to a creditable degree, the true meaning of 
the great ancient precept, " know thyself," and depart a wiser and a better 
man. By acquiring this self-knowledge we learn to reason from effect to 
cause, and in cases of many of the diseases to which we are daily sub- 
ject, are enabled to trace them back to their origin and thereby in future 
avoid the latter. 

3d. As a school of morals ; showing in silent, but most unmistakable 
language, that "the wages of sin is death," and that "the sins of the 
fathers shall be visited upon the children," etc., our Pathological depart- 
ment has at least no superior. 

The many encomiums from members of the clergy of various sects, 
since the beginning of our philanthropic enterprise, have given us great 
encouragement, and stimulated to additional and still more active exer- 
tions in behalf of our race. 

In the branches of Comparative Anatomy and Natural History, we 
believe that learning " to look through nature up to nature's God " will 
convey a sermon in itself, which a visitor of a reflecting mind will never 
forget. 



Why Men Degenerate. 5 

In fine, the success of our institution has been so great, largely increas- 
ing from the day of its first establishment, that many, purporting to be 
similar ones, have been established throughout the country, but the pur- 
poses of most of which, I am sorry to say, are exceedingly questionable. 
In many cases their models are grossly incorrect according to nature, and 
are therefore likely to lead to great errors on the part of the visitor. In 
justice, we beg of the public not to be confounded with such. There 
are no branches of the New York Museum of Anatomy, and there is but 
one office for consultation with patients. I mention this because I have 
known of instances in which my ov/n name has been used, but with the 
change of a single letter, and in such a manner as intentionally to mis- 
lead the public, and thus garner up the fruits of my own reputation 
which I had been so many years in acquiring. 

In this one office, No. 40 Bond street, a few doors from Broadway, 
.among other special diseases requiring the strictest and most careful 
treatment, particular attention will be paid to the following, the more so, 
as they are the ones most liable to fall into the hands of the ignorant and 
unskillful practitioner, and the improper treatment of which would be 
the most likely to produce serious if not fatal results. 

I. Various conditions of the system resulting from early bad habits, and 
neglect of proper teachings on the part of parents and guardians. 

These conditions consist in part of spermatorrhoea, seminal weakness, 
emissions, impotence, nervous debility, premature old age, or decay of the 
various faculties of the mind and body, etc. 

We meet thousands in our daily walks whose ages are only between 
25 and 40 years, the proper period of life to enjoy the full vigor of mind 
and body, but whose tottering limbs, procumbent spine, and unretentive 
memory, would proclaim each a man of at least forescore. 

In a majority of cases these early bad habits are at the foundation of 
these seeming libels upon nature and her laws. But they are not libels ; 
nature is true to her own laws, and it is only when these laws are violated 
that we witness what are improperly called unnatural results. 

Let us visit any of the insane asylums of this or any other State, pass 
through the corridors, look into the cells or about the grounds — the 
greater class of the inmates you will observe to belong to that passive 
type which manifest no symptoms of violence or raving, no activity oi 
mind or body, no taste for exercise, and none for literary pursuits, (how- 
ever well educated,) taking little or no notice of what is passing before 
them, sometimes not even knowing the fates of their most intimate 
friends or nearest relatives, in fact not living but only decaying and sink- 
ing down and down into that sepulchre which they have hewn out for 



6 Lecture by Dr. Jordan. 

themselves. These, with few exceptions, are the victims of these same 
pernicious habits and comprise fully fifty per cent, of the insane of the 
community of the present age. 

Among these are students of schools, academies, colleges, and even of 
theological institutions ; practicing members of all the learned professions, 
though, as a natural consequence, the physician is the least frequent, 
knowing, as he does, from comparatively early instruction in his peculiar 
profession, the physical and mental consequences of these habits. 

In the matter of statistics, we may add, that the per centage of the 
number of inmates of insane asylums, resulting from an abuse of alco- 
holic drinks, is only from twenty-five to thirty per cent., or from one-half 
to three-fifths of the former. 

Again : We find in the schools for the training and instruction of 
idiots, a new educational department established but a few years since, 
originally through the efforts of the celebrated Dr. Samuel G. Howe, a 
great majority of the inmates, according to the official reports endorsed 
by Dr. Howe himself, to be either the victims of this habit contracted in 
childhood, through the example and instruction of nurses and older asso- 
ciates, or else the offspring of parents who had, in former years, practiced 
these vile and sinful habits. 

Still again : Among the records and statistics of deformities, mon- 
strosities, still-births, miscarriages, etc., we are informed, and from our 
own experience and observation, led to believe, that the leading causes 
of these misfortunes are . the practice, on the part of parents, of these 
unnatural, and in most cases, criminal habits. 

In comparing notes with others of the medical faculty, I am also justi- 
fied in making the assertion that at least four-fifths of the cases of impo- 
tence and sterility with which we are daily familiar, are the direct or 
indirect results of this habit. 

Paralysis of the limbs, emunctory organs, and indeed of all parts and 
functions of the system, more frequently arise from this than from any 
other three causes. 

Many other diseases, or symptoms of disease, which we have not now 
time to mention, are the sure effects of this unnatural and criminal practice. 

Unlike most crimes, vices, and bad habits, this one is not prevalent 
among the low and the vulgar ; among those who eat the bread of pov- 
erty, and are deprived of the light of science and the blessings of the 
gospel ; for there, other vices take their place, the results of which I need 
not name. 

On the other hand, it is among those who are better educated, more 
tenderly reared, intellectually and religiously, as we have already remarked ; 



Why Men Degenerate. 7 

among the purer and more refined classes of juvenile society, that this 
misfortune is most prevalent. 

Many proprietary medicines have been advertised and thrust before 
the public, purporting to be specific cures for the effects of diseases result- 
ing from this habit, but none of these are reliable, inasmuch as every case 
demands a thorough investigation according to the temperament of the 
patient and the circumstances surrounding it. 

In conclusion of this part of the subject, it is important to state, that 
those who follow these practices, and are suffering from other and general 
or local diseases, of whatever nature, are much longer in recovering under 
the same treatment than are those who were previously in the full vigor 
of health and who had never previously destroyed or impaired their vital 
and recuperative powers by this depletive habit. 

Such diseases as small pox, scarlet and typhoid fevers, etc., would 
more likely prove fatal to the former class, since those remedies used in 
restoring the patient to strength after convalescence have less foundation 
to build upon than in the latter class. 

Recovering from wounds, contusions, and other local accidents, depend 
to a great degree upon the purity and richness of the blood ; and here 
too our unfortunate victim has deprived himself of the advantage which 
nature, not interfered with, would have given him. 

Consumption, not only when the direct effect of this habit, but when 
the patient is predisposed to it, or it is induced by other causes, often 
becomes incurable, even from its incipient stages, mainly from the con- 
tinuation of this aggravating element. 

II. Syphilitic diseases in their various forms and stages have been too 
frequently tampered with by the ignorant and unprincipled practitioner, 
the effects of which mistakes are often seen to a very frightful extent in 
the syphilitic wards of the various hospitals of this and other countries. 

Added to this are the many instances of sheer neglect on the part of 
the patient to seek any remedy or medical aid at all, until the complaint 
has advanced to an extreme condition, and the consequence is almost 
invariably most serious if not dangerous or even fatal. 

It is moreover frequently asserted, and the sufferer is sometimes made 
to believe, that secondary and tertiary forms and symptoms of syphilis, 
together with scrofula, its legitimate heir, are wholly incurable, even by 
the most skilled professional treatment. This, however, is a cross mis- 
take; a thorough knowledge of the nature o( syphilitic virus, and the 
condition of the physical system when under its influence, will, in most 
instances, enable the physician, when called in time, to successfully cope 
with its various formidable features ami phases. 



8 Lecture by Dr. Jordan. 

Sarsaparilla compounds and other preparations, so often advertised as 
specifics for the cure of scrofula and other diseases and impurities of the 
blood are for the most part unreliable, inasmuch as they are generally 
compounded and sold by unprofessional persons, and though they may 
be possibly good in some instances, cannot at all times be equal or alike 
in their effects upon different individuals and under all circumstances. 

III. Albuminuria and BHghfs Disease of Kidney. These two names, 
though generally associated together, are nevertheless not in all respects 
synonymous. Albuminuria is a hybrid term, or one made up of two 
words of different languages ; one from the Latin albumen, an immediate 
principle of the animal and vegetable kingdoms, which constitutes the 
chief part of white of egg ; and the other, from a Greek word, signifying 
urine. The compound word albuminuria, (not " albuminaria " as it is 
often called by physicians and others,) therefore means a condition of 
the urine in which it contains an abnormal proportion of albumen, which 
should be retained in the system and pass into the circulation, thus en- 
riching the blood, or supplying its waste arising from what is called 
"destructive assimilation." 

This, from time immemorial, had been called "kidney complaint," in 
common with all other affections of a like general nature : but it was not 
until 1827 that Richard Bright, of London, first made anatomical and 
microscopical research, and thus determined the true anatomical charac- 
ter of the disease in all its various forms, acute, chronic, etc. By these 
investigations, the several changes in the structure of the kidneys, though 
by no means uniform, were found in cases of albuminuria mainly to con- 
sist of granulations in their cortical or external portions, thereby obstruct- 
ing the ducts or convoluted tubes, giving rise to the secretion of urine, 
which contains albumen, as already mentioned, besides producing other 
abnormal results, which we have not now time to detail. 

This disease has become prevalent to a fearful extent within the past 
few years, principally from the changes in the general habits of society 
and the greater amount of care and anxiety of business men since the 
times of our comparatively unpretending ancestors, and when thoroughly 
seated it is, to say the least, very difficult of permanent cure. But when 
taken in its incipient stages, notwithstanding former opinions as to its in- 
curable nature, it may, by careful and proper treatment, and aided by 
due care on the part of the patient, be arrested and eventually cured. 

During the past twenty-five years, in behalf of my own patients and 
those of many other physicians, I have made several hundreds of micro- 
scopical and chemical examinations of urine suspected of containing an 
excess of albumen, and my experience in this branch, as well as in the 



Why Men Degenerate. 9 

treatment of the disease itself, gives me the right to speak somewhat con- 
fidently of my abilities in this respect. 

Without entering into the minutiae of chemical analysis in this lecture, 
the following example, copied from one of my late reports of an exami- 
nation of the blood in a confirmed case of albuminuria, will show you 
why the system of the patient becomes so debilitated, even when he has 
enjoyed comparative immunity from pain. The composition of the blood 
in perfect health is stated as follows : 

In each 1,000 parts are contained, fibrine, 3 ; blood globules, or globu- 
lin, 127 ; albumen, 72 ; various salts of sodium, potassium, lime, magne- 
sia, and iron, with the coloring matter, 8; and of water, 790. 

In this particular case, the amount of fibrine was unaltered ; but there 
was found of globulin only 85 ; albumen, 60 ; salts and hematin, or color- 
ing matter, 7 ; and water, 845 ; thus making a decrease of 1 2 parts of 
albumen, 42 of globulin, (which is of the same nourishing nature,) and 
of salts 1 ; or in all 55 parts of vital matter abstracted from the blood 
and passing off with the urine. 

Without giving an abstract of the analysis of the urine in any particu- 
lar case, we see from the above that any undue excess of albumen pass- 
ing into the urine must impoverish the blood to a corresponding degree. 

Many generations ago, long before the time in which Shakespeare 
wrote, it was customary for invalids to send their urine to the physician 
for examination, and the answers returned by the latter were no doubt 
sometimes as ludicrous as they were indefinite. Thus, in Shakespeare's 
play of the second part of King Henry IV., act 1, scene 2, Falstaff says : 
"Sirrah, you giant, what says the doctor to my water?" To which the 
Page answers : " He said, sir, the water itself was a good healthy water ; 
but, for the party that owed it, he might have more diseases than he 
knew for." 

u Uromantia" as it was then called, or "the art of divining diseases by 
simple inspection of the urine," was not then conducted on scientific 
or chemical principles, and the reports and results should by no means 
be confounded with the comparatively perfect investigations of the pres- 
ent day. 

Specimens of urine sent to physicians for examination should be recent 
as possible, voided immediately after rising in the morning, and kept 
in a well-corked viol. 

IV. Gonorrhoea. The disease known by this common name is in fart 
improperly so called, as the name implies a (lux ox \\o\x o\ the seminal 
fluid, while it is only an inflammatory discharge o\ mucus from the ure- 
thra, and may be excited spontaneously or by irritants applied directly 



io Lecture by Dr. Jordan. 

to the membrane ; but it is usually produced by impure connexion. It 
is, however, usually divided into two great varieties : pura, or that which 
does not follow impure connexion, and is not contagious ; and impura, or 
that which results from impure commerce, and is malignant or conta- 
gious. It is our province here only to give a few general hints upon this 
subject, simply as a guide to those who would wish to avoid some of the 
more serious mistakes into which the unwary invalid is most apt to fall. 

Copaiva is too often taken in impure doses, and frequently without 
the advice of the physician, and in very many instances in which its use 
is directly contra-indicated. Among the latter, and where copaiva should 
never be employed in doses of any quantity whatever, are, a predisposi- 
tion to eruptions of the skin, often depending more or less upon a disor- 
dered state of the stomach, cases of chronic dyspepsia, or indigestion, etc., 
as these symptoms are apt to be aggravated by the use of copaiva, or 
remedies of a similar nature. In large doses it is also apt to produce 
diarrhoea, when it should be discontinued, or at least the quantity 
diminished. 

The free use of oil, or as it is generally called, the spirit of turpentine, 
is a favorite form of self-treatment by many who attempt to become their 
own physicians; but its general action, like many other volatile oils, is 
that of an irritant poison. Besides this, its effect is to weaken the kid- 
neys, and for this reason alone should be avoided. Indeed, so powerful 
a specific action has it upon these emunctory organs that workmen in 
turpentine manufactories, even by handling and inhaling its vapor, are 
generally so powerfully affected that they either die or are compelled to 
change their occupation within an average of five years. We believe this 
statement to be reliable, coming as it does from an extensive manufac- 
turer of the article during the past thirty-five years, who, however, gen- 
erally attends only to the business of his counting-room without spending 
much of his time in the laboratory. 

In the words of a well-known author, "injections are rarely required," 
but should they ever be, the patient should never trust to his own unaided 
judgment in prescribing them. 

In perhaps a majority of cases, though by no means in all, the sufferer 
from gonorrhoea and its kindred diseases is not properly restricted by his 
physician as to the food, drinks, exercise, etc., which are properly indi- 
cated in the special treatment of his case ; but too often he is left to his 
own judgment or his appetite to guide him. 

Thus, if the patient has been in the daily habit of indulging in alco- 
holic beverages, he is not sufficiently cautioned against a continuance of 
their use ; or perhaps he is permitted still to use them in a comparatively 



Why Men Degenerate. n 

mild form, such as ale or beer, when in fact in many cases a moderate 
indulgence in some kinds of distilled liquors would be even less injurious 
than fermented drinks. 

As a general rule the diet should be somewhat light, and very gross 
and fatty meats should be avoided ; but these may be idiosyncracies in 
which a full, generous diet may be absolutely necessary to sustain the 
strength of the system and thereby prevent a decline. 

The remarks on the subject of using liquors are almost equally appli- 
cable to the use of tobacco, as the latter very often interferes with the 
action of medicine, while both patient and physician wonder why such 
remedies seem to be wanting in their legitimate operation. 

Sudden changes of temperature, or those by which colds and other 
inflammatory diseases are contracted, should be carefully avoided, and 
exercise of a violent or extremely laborious nature should be suspended 
for a time, or until the condition of the system will permit the patient to 
resume his calling with impunity. All violent mental emotions, as anger, 
hilarity, fear, or passion of any nature, tend to protract the duration of 
such diseases, and therefor the mind, as well as the body, should be kept 
in as tranquil a state as possible, for the influence of the mind over mat- 
ter is sometimes very great, and may frequently produce unlookedfor 
results. 

It should be borne in mind that there are two stages of gonorrhoea ; 
the first, that of active inflammation, in which any cause calculated to 
quicken the circulation or raise the temperature of the blood, only tends 
to increase the feverish state of the system, and consequently excite the 
already too excited parts. The second is the passive stage, in which the 
discharge is due to weakness or want of tone in the organs, and remedies 
which are demanded in the one stage are absolutely injurious in the other. 

Phymosis and Paraphymosis respectively consist of a preternatural nar- 
rowness of the prepuce, so that it cannot be carried behind the corona 
gia/idis, or if by any means this has been effected it cannot again be 
brought forward, producing what is called "strangulation." This is 
sometimes congenital and not superinduced by disease, in which cases 
circumcision should be resorted to. In others it is the result o\ inflam- 
mation and swelling, brought on by syphilis or gonorrhoea, and should be 
reduced by such local applications as may be ordered by the physician. 

Depending upon phymosis, retention of urine or ischuria phym 
frequently occurs, on which point the physician should be consulted at 
once, as delays are dangerous. 

A neglect of the treatment o\ gonorrhoea, or what is sometimes worse, 
improper treatment, sometimes results in swelled testicle, or 



12 Lecture by Dr. Jordan. 

moralis, a painful symptom, and one which if too long neglected often be- 
comes chronic, and consequently difficult or impossible of complete cure. 

Varix, or vai'icose veins, are -the result of local retardation of the venous 
circulation ; the symptoms are most common in the superficial veins of 
the lower limbs, especially of those who have been much addicted to 
amorous indigencies, and of females who are about to become mothers. 
Sometimes the vein becomes ruptured, giving rise to internal hemorrhage. 

When varix affects the veins of the scrotum and spermatic cord it is 
called varicocele, and in the latter is more common on the left side than 
on the right, for which reason medical authors have hitherto failed to give 
a satisfactory explanation. 

Hydrocele is a frequent concomitant or sequent of some one of the 
already named violations of natural laws, and is generally applied to a 
collection of serous fluid in the areolar or cellular tissue, or in some of 
the coverings, either of the testicle or of the spermatic cord. The first 
of these is called external hydrocele, that of the envelope of the testicle 
hydrocele of the tunica vaginalis; to which is prefixed the term congenital 
when there is a free communication between the membrane in which it is 
situated and the cavity of the abdomen. Existing in the spermatic cord 
it is calied encysted, or diffused hydrocele of the spermatic cord, as the case 
may be. 

Tapping or puncturing with a trocar is only done for temporary relief, 
and not for permanent cure, as the fluid collects again after the puncture 
is healed, and this operation is therefore only to be termed palliative. 
When, however, a liquid of an irritating nature is injected, like aromatic 
wine, the coat becomes inflamed, adhesion takes place, and the cavity is 
obliterated. 

As the manipulation of instruments employed for this purpose can be 
successfully made only by a skillful surgeon, it is therefore of the highest 
importance that only such be applied to, as an ignorant or careless prac- 
titioner might be very apt to puncture the testicle, thus producing inflam- 
mation of a painful and dangerous character. 

It is usually in the form of a soft, unequal, knotty, compressible, and 
indolent tumor, situated in the course of the cord, and increasing upwards 
from below. It is less in size when the individual is in the recumbent 
posture, increasing when he stands erect. 

It is highly important to the patient who is attacked with even the first 
symptoms of varicocele to apply at once to a competent physician, before 
the disease has passed from its incipient to its chronic stage. There may 
be no pain and no sensible feeling of weakness or physical debility in the 
parts, and the approaching ailment may be recognized only by the en- 



Why Men Degenerate. 13 

gorgement and swelling of the veins at the surface of the scrotum. When 
the disease has further progressed, the testicles often begin to waste away, 
the veins continue to become enlarged, until in the end the victim be- 
comes hopelessly and incurably impotent, when, had the proper treat- 
ment been resorted to in time, strength and vigor might have been per- 
fectly restored. It is unfortunate that so few persons, except those of the 
medical profession, attach the degree of importance to this form of disease 
which it really demands ; and indeed it is only within the last few years 
that medical examiners have seen fit to reject candidates for the army, 
for police duty, and for life insurance, on this account. The symptoms 
already described may be considered as a warning of approaching impo- 
tence, which latter misfortune is, to use the language of a celebrated 
medical author, "the not unfrequent source of great domestic infelicity." 
It is the sacred duty of every man to retain his sexual vigor to a ripe 
old age, and unless he has committed unnatural excesses during his 
early years, there is no reason why he should not retain this faculty as 
long as others. So-called "incompatibility of temper," resulting in fre- 
quent divorces, is often only another name for impotence, and both 
scripture and legislation regard the ability to perform marital rites as 
incumbent upon man. It is only two or three years since the young and 
beautiful wife of a distinguished member of the United States Congress 
obtained a divorce solely upon this issue. 

Again we repeat, that too much importance cannot be attached to com- 
petent and reliable medical treatment, on appearance of the very first 
shadow of the symptoms which lead to this calamity. After varicose 
veins and confirmed varicocele, follow atrophy or wasting away of the 
testicles, but when attended to in proper time the latter malady, with all 
its concomitant misfortunes, may be arrested. 

Even when the trouble has not culminated in absolute impotence, the 
fruits of alliance with those suffering from the premonitory symptoms are 
apt to be sickly, wan and short-lived, and we hold it to be a gross sin 
against the Maker of Mankind to be the means of begetting or bringing 
forth such beings. 

But we trust that with increasing light and knowledge on the part of 
the community, this with many other crying evils of a similar nature, 
may in time grow to be among the things that were. 

In bad cases the vein is sometimes tied, but except great care is ob- 
served, this method is in danger of leading to phlebitis, or inflammation 
of the veins, and sometimes terminating in suppuration, ulceration, or 
gangrene. 

It is frequently thought by the non-professional individual that 



14 Lecture by Dr. Jordan. 

or an inflammatory tumor, seated in the groin, must of necessity have its 
origin in some syphilitic disease, or disposition of the system. 

But this is a decided mistake ; authors of the present day classify the 
affection into three parts, viz. : simple, or sympathetic bubo; ve?iereal bubo; 
and pestilential bubo. 

The first is independent of any virus in the economy, and may occur 
through sympathy with severe and painful corns, standing for a long time 
with wet feet, and from any one of at least half a dozen causes. 

The second is occasioned by the venereal virus, and the third is symp- 
tomatic of the plague. The last two, from their formidable character, are 
sometimes called malignant bubo. 

Either of these three types may often, when taken in time, and by what 
is called the abortive treatment, be dispersed and suppuration avoided ; 
but when too far advanced, they must of course be suffered to run their 
full time, and be dealt with accordingly. Hence, upon the first appear- 
ance of inflammation and swelling in these parts, we may see how very 
important is a prompt application to the competent medical adviser. 

To the second stage belong gleet, etc., which, although unattended with 
pain for the most part, are when neglected for a considerable time, debil- 
itating to the patient, and productive of results as formidable as those 
which are more keenly realized by their victim, and especially by him 
who is untutored in such matters. 

The uro-genital organs are scarcely less delicate than the eye, and any 
derangement in their condition or functions require treatment as skilled 
as do diseases of the latter. 

No unprofessional man would dare to undertake the medical and sur- 
gical treatment of himself, were he threatened with loss of his sight, and 
yet thousands of unthinking and uneducated persons imagine that they 
can at all times save the physician's fee by self-treatment in diseases of a 
private nature. And the more ignorant are they of pathology, the more 
ready are they to assume unlimited knowledge thereof, with what results 
are witnessed by the many living pathological specimens whom we daily 
meet, but who seem to ignore the fact that they are fast sinking down into 
those sepulchres which they themselves have hewn out. 

These remarks do not apply to diseases mentioned in this lecture 
alone, but to all those which I have named, and to a great part of those 
represented in the Pathological Department of this institution. Let it 
not be for a moment supposed that in this brief lecture I have exhausted 
the subject of private diseases, or even a catalogue of the various symp- 
toms arising from them. Volumes might be written upon the former, 
and of the latter, with all their varieties and complications, " their name' 



Why Men Degenerate. 15 

is legion." I have only touched lightly upon those ideas which are most 
readily suggestive in taking in, as it were, a bird's-eye view of the whole, 
and leaving more minute details for a series or regular course of lectures. 

And in these, as well, or perhaps better than in complaints of other 
characters, it is proper to caution the unwary patient against those who 
claim that they only sell or administer vegetable medicines, and that 
therefore they must be harmless. The most virulent poisons known are 
among those of purely vegetable origin, as may be proved by reference 
to any reliable chemist or toxicologist. For example, aconitia, which is 
extracted from the vegetable aconite, or monkshood, is known to have pro- 
duced death in doses of only one-fiftieth of a grain, while one-fifth of a 
grain of arsenic is the usual dose in the treatment of various diseases. 

As a community, we are too apt to be led astray by attractive adver- 
tisements, but in medicines especially should we be cautious, as their 
abuse involves health and even life. 

Hemorrhoids or Piles are well known to result from habitual constipa- 
tion, a sedentary life, various irregular habits in eating, drinking, exer- 
cise, sleep, etc., and very frequently from the habits and vices which we 
have already named. 

The different methods resorted to for the purpose of a cure are quite 
as various as the causes, and many of them are perfectly inefficacious and 
even absolutely pernicious. A proper diagnosis and careful, judicious 
treatment are in all cases indispensable. Patients suffering from this 
annoying and often painful disease should studiously avoid what are de- 
nominated "specifics," or remedies which are warranted to cure in every 
case, whatever may be the symptoms or cause. Strict attention to diet 
and habits is quite as essential in most cases as is the quality of the rem- 
edies administered. "Catarrh Specifics," in the form of sternutatories , 
or pungent, irritating snuffs, although sometimes affording temporary 
relief, only tend to increase the annoying symptoms and aggravate the 
disease, and should therefore be looked upon with suspicion. From long- 
observation, and by comparing notes with others of the profession, 1 am 
led to the belief that this disease is in many cases aggravated by habits o( 
masturbation, excessive venery, and other infringements upon the laws of 
nature and health. 

A powder has recently made its appearance aiming us under the name 
of "Alpina" an East India root, which is represented as a radical cure 
for catarrh, it is simply the pulverized root o\ the well-known galangal 
plant, and although in many eases useful as a medicine, it has no virtues 
whatever in this disease. 

V. Rheumatism and Neuralgia not unfrequently result from venereal 



1 6 Lecture by Dr. Jordan. 

diseases and improper treatment therefor. Mercurialization, or salivation 
with mercury in some of its forms, often is followed by one or both of 
these diseases in their most formidable types. In such cases is the adage, 
"delays are dangerous," especially adapted. 

VI. Chewing Tobacco. " It frequently happens that, in our daily lives, 
we become so perfectly familiarized with dangers, that we fail to heed 
them, and sometimes attribute the evils which result from them to other 
and far different causes. It is especially so with those vicious habits 
which enervate and destroy the functions of mind and body, and he who 
indulges in them, and has made them, as it were, familiar parts of himself, 
never regards them in their true, detestable light, while even minor faults 
with which he is not conversant seem to him formidable and worthy of 
abhorrence. 

" Of these habits, are the excessive use of alcoholic drinks and tobacco 
in our own country, and of opium and other narcotics among other 
nations. 

" Tobacco and some of its chemical products have invariably been 
included in the toxicologist's list of poisons since it was first introduced 
into Europe in 1560. 

" This, together with alcohol, opium, and a few other narcotics, differ 
from other poisons in the almost irresistable desire, -amounting to a species 
of mania, which they beget in their victims for a repetition of their effects, 
while, on the other hand, he who has once been poisoned by lead or sul- 
phuric acid, will take special care to avoid a recurrence of the same, 
unless indeed he has the deliberate intention of committing suicide." 

It is not our present design to discuss the subject of tobacco in a 
historical or chemical point of view, but merely to speak of a single one 
of its abuses which is probably more prevalent in this than any other 
country, and which, therefore, more especially deserves mention in this 
connection as one of the prevalent causes which contribute to the de- 
struction of health and the shortening of life among our citizens. 

The ignorant Laplander, and the rough, uncultivated seaman are no 
more abject slaves to its use than is the man whose educational refine- 
ment in all other respects entitle him to the appellation of gentleman, and 
the latter, while surrounded by every other luxury which wealth can pro- 
cure, is made as miserable when deprived of its fascinating effects as the 
poor shipwrecked sailor upon a desert island without the common neces- 
sities of life. Even he whose natural tastes and early training have been 
of that high degree of nicety that he is over-scrupulous in preventing 
food or drinks from passing his lips which may be adulterated or contami- 
nated with dirt, and who carefully abstains from touching anything which, 



Why Men Degenerate. 17 

to his delicate senses, may appear unclean, often denies his breath, stains 
his lips, and stupefies his brain by this famous poison. 

So far as history informs us, the use of tobacco in Europe was for many 
years confined to smoking, snuffing being its next form, and chewing of 
comparatively recent date. 

One of the amusing incidents connected with its early use in England 
for smoking purposes is illustrated on the backs of some of our national 
currency notes. The engraving represents Sir Walter Raleigh, one of its 
earliest advocates, in his appartment, and in company with some of his 
friends, in the act of smoking a pipe of the newly acquired luxury. At 
this moment a page enters, bearing refreshments, but he is so frightened 
at seeing smoke issuing from the mouth of his master that he drops the 
tray of refreshments, and rushes out of the room, giving the alarm of fire. 

The habit of smoking and snuffing tobacco spread so rapidly through- 
out Europe, and had arrived at such a pitch in 1624, that Pope Urban 
excommunicated all who were detected taking snuff in the church, and 
in the Russian Empire in 1634, the penalty of having the nose cut off 
was executed against all smokers. 

In certain parts of Switzerland in 1653, inn keepers were ordered to 
inform against all persons smoking in their houses, and when so detected, 
the culprits were severely punished. Even as late as 17 19, the authori- 
ties of Strasbourg prohibited the cultivation of tobacco, under the 
apprehension that it would diminish the growth of grain. In other 
countries efforts have been made to prevent its cultivation, sale, and use, 
under the plea that it would soon exterminate the population. 

In time however, all these ideas came to be considered as absurd, and 
during the last century and a half, although it has had its violent oppo- 
nents, no great effort has been made, as in the case of alcoholic liquors, to 
suppress its sale or use by law. 

Like many other poisons, it is recognized by the most reliable medical 
authorities as a valuable medicine in certain cases, although it is ac- 
knowledge by most authors that the remedy is dangerous, not only from 
the direct fatal effects which it may produce when used in some of its tonus, 
but almost from the uncontrolable habit which its use generally induces. 

When chewed, it impairs the appetite, and brings on torpor of the 
gastric nerves, and is no doubt the frequent cause of paralysis. In im- 
moderate quantities, it gives rise to confusion of the head, vertigo, stupor, 
faintness, nausea, vomiting, and general debility o\ the nervous and 
circulating functions. If these quantities be increased, the symptoms ot 
its action arc, severe retching, with the most distressing and persistent 
nausea, very feeble pulse, coolness oi the skin, tainting, convulsions, and 
eventually death. 



1 8 Lecture by Dr. Jordan. 

These violent effects, when chewed for a long time, and in gradually- 
increasing quantities, are, to a great degree, lost, as is true of all narcotic 
poisons, by deadening the sensibility, or the slow paralysing of the organs 
with which it comes in contact. This diminution of the sensibility to the 
action of poisons is called paralysis venenata, or palsy from poison. 

Chewing more than smoking excites the glands which furnish the saliva, 
thus robbing the system of the latter substance, which should be reserved 
to moisten the food during mastication, and assist in its digestion. At 
the same time, its continued use in this form distorts and changes the 
muscles and expression of the face in a peculiar manner, which is pro- 
duced by no other narcotic poison. 

In a standard work on diseases of the eye, by Prof. Mackenzie, it is 
stated that tobacco is a frequent cause of diminution and loss of sight, 
or amaurosis, and that one of the best proofs of tobacco being its cause 
is the great improvement in vision — sometimes complete restoration — 
which ensues on giving up the use of this poison. 

What is called narcotism of the heart is also one of its effects, and has 
often been known to disappear on suspension of the practice. Another 
symptom is a dull pain behind the breast bone, rather tending to the left 
side, and sometimes interfering with sleep. 

Many cases of delirium tremens are known to have occurred from 
tobacco, and we have also the highest medical authority for saying that it 
produces a predisposition to lasting insanity. 

Chewing tobacco is frequently adulterated with other poisons to increase 
its pungency and narcotic effects. For the former are added, among 
other things, sulphate of copper, sulphate of iron, antimony, alum, cor- 
rosive sublimate, black hellebore, and other poisonous drugs, and for the 
latter, poppy leaves, and substances of a similar nature ; while, to preserve 
its moisture and impart a sweet taste, molasses, licorice and glycerin are 
employed. 

For the chemistry, botany and natural history of tobacco, another 
occasion will be taken for a lecture, but for the present we trust we have 
said enough to deter any one from learning the habit of chewing tobacco, 
and to induce those who have already formed it to make strenuous efforts 
to abandon it before too late. 

In conclusion permit me to state, that I have gleaned these remarks 
from various records of my observations and practice during the past 25 
years, and my principal motive for embodying them in the form of a lec- 
ture is one of pure humanity and philanthropy, and while I sincerely 
thank you for your kind attention during the last hour, I trust your visit 
here may result in practical benefit, both to yourselves and to those who 
may live after you. 



Why Men Degenerate. 



19 



JUST PUBLISHED 



THE FOLLOWING 



Eight Highly Important Lectures 



rr 



BOUND TOGETHER AND ENTITLED 



10 Philosophy of Marriage. 



1. Structure of Man. 

2. Structure of Woman. 

3. Functions of Man and Woman, 

4. Marriage. 



5. Spermatorrhoea. 

6. Generative Debility. 

7. Special Diseases. 

8. Treatment. 



As delivered at the New York Museum of Anatomy, 618 
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